Gaming system and a method of gaming

ABSTRACT

A gaming system is disclosed which includes at least one game section having a plurality of game portions, and a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome. The gaming system is arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected. A corresponding method is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of priority to Australian Provisional Patent Application No. 2008900657, filed on Feb. 12, 2008, entitled “A GAMING SYSTEM AND A METHOD OF GAMING”, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a gaming system and to a method of gaming.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to provide a gaming system which comprises at least one wheel provided with a plurality of identifiers equidistantly disposed around the wheel. The wheel is rotatable and game outcomes are determined using a pointer disposed adjacent the periphery of the wheel.

However, while such gaming systems provide users with enjoyment, a need exists for alternative gaming systems in order to maintain or increase player enjoyment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a gaming system including:

at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and

a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome;

the gaming system being arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to adjacent game portions which have not been selected.

In one embodiment each game portion has an associated identifier and the gaming system is arranged to use the identifiers to determine game outcomes.

In one embodiment, the or each game section is a physical game section. With this embodiment, the gaming system may further include an actuator arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to adjacent game portions which have not been selected.

In an alternative embodiment, the gaming system is implemented electronically such that the or each game section is represented graphically on a video display.

The gaming system may include a plurality of game sections disposed in a tower configuration, for example such that the game sections reduce in diameter in an upwardly direction.

The game sections may be purchasable by a player such that the purchase amount increases with increasing game sections to be included in the game.

In one embodiment, the game sections are of disk-like configuration, and the game portions are segments of the disk.

In one embodiment, the identifiers include a symbol, number, icon or picture, or are in the form of a particular colour.

In one embodiment, the gaming system includes an outcome evaluator arranged to determine whether a winning outcome exists on the basis of the portions selected by the selector.

The gaming system may be arranged such that a winning outcome is determined on the basis of the positions of the selected game portions, and/or based on the identifiers associated with the selected game portions.

The gaming system may be arranged such that a winning outcome is determined by comparing the selected game portions with a pay table.

In one embodiment, one or more of the selector and the outcome evaluator is constituted, at least in part, by a processor executing program code stored in a memory.

In one embodiment, the gaming system includes a game play mechanism operable to place a wager and the outcome evaluator evaluates the outcome based on the wager and based on the game portions selected by the selector.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of gaming, the method including:

providing at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and

selecting at least one game portion;

moving at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to adjacent game portions which have not been selected; and

using the at least one selected game portion to determine a game outcome.

In accordance with a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program arranged when loaded into a computer to instruct the computer to operate in accordance with a gaming system including:

at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and

a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome;

the gaming system being arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code being arranged when loaded into a computer to cause the computer to operate in accordance with a gaming system including:

at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and

a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome;

the gaming system being arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective representation of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the gaming system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective representation of the gaming system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a game controller of the gaming system shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a gaming system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating operative components of the gaming system shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a gaming machine of the gaming system shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of operative components of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of components of a memory of the gaming machine shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a gaming system in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of a gaming system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention during use.

The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments of the present invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the invention, certain embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the attached drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a gaming system 10 arranged to implement a probabilistic game.

The gaming system 10 includes several game sections, in this example 5 game sections 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d, 12 e, each game section including a respective plurality of portions 14 a, 14 b, 14 c, 14 d, 14 e. The game sections 12 are of differing diameters and are disposed in a tower configuration such that the game sections 12 reduce in diameter in an upwardly direction.

Each portion 14 has an associated identifier 16 which may be in the form of a symbol such as a number, icon, picture and so on, or may be in the form of a particular colour.

Operation of the gaming system 10 is such that portions 14 are selected randomly or pseudorandomly and a game outcome is determined on the basis of the selected portions. In order for a player to clearly see which portions have been selected, the selected portions 20 are raised relative to the portions 14 which have not been selected, as shown in FIG. 3. For this purpose, adjacent game sections 12 are spaced relative to each other so as to allow for movement of the portions 14.

A winning outcome may be defined on the basis of any pattern or sequence of selected portions, for example based on identifiers 16 associated with selected portions 14 in multiple adjacent game sections 12, based on identifiers 16 associated with selected portions 14 at any location on the gaming device, based on the positions of selected portions 14 alone or in addition to the identifiers 16 associated with selected portions 14, or on any other basis.

In the present example, the game sections 12 are generally disk-like and the portions 14 are segments of the disk-like game sections 12. In this way, the game sections 12 resemble pies with selection of one or more of the portions being indicated by raising one or more pieces of the pies relative to the other pieces.

While the present embodiment includes 5 game sections 12, it will be understood that any number of game sections 12 may be provided.

A game controller 30 for controlling operation of the gaming system 10 is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 4.

The game controller 30 includes a memory 32 arranged to store game instructions and any other data to enable the gaming system to implement a game, a selector 34 arranged to select several portions 14 of the game sections 12 using a random number generator 36, and an actuator 38 arranged to cause the selected portions 20 to raise relative to portions 14 which have not been selected. The selected portions may be caused to raise relative to portions which have not been selected in any suitable way. For example, the portions 14 may be biased towards a lowered position and the actuator caused to act against the biasing force for the selected portions.

It will be appreciated that the random number generator 36 may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number, and that in this specification the term “random” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random.

The game controller 30 also includes an outcome evaluator 40 which in accordance with the game instructions 32 determines game outcomes based on the selected portions 14.

An alternative gaming system 50 implemented using an electronic gaming machine is shown schematically in FIG. 5.

Operation is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 with the difference being that a video representation of the game sections 12 and game portions 14 is shown on an electronic gaming machine. For the purpose of describing this embodiment, like and similar features to features described in relation to FIGS. 1 to 4 are indicated with like reference numerals.

Operation of the present embodiment is such that several portions 14 of at least one game section 12 are selected, and the selected portions 14 are represented on a video display as raised relative to portions 14 which have not been selected, and game outcomes are determined based on the selected raised portions.

The gamins system 50 includes a player interface 52 and a game controller 54. The player interface 52 is arranged to enable interaction between a player and the gaming system and for this purpose includes input/output components for the player to enter instructions and play the game.

Components of the player interface 52 may vary but will typically include a credit mechanism 56 to enable a player to input credits and receive payouts, one or more displays 58 which may include a touch screen, and a game play mechanism 60 arranged to enable a player to input game play instructions.

The game controller 54 is in data communication with the player interface 52 and typically includes a processor 62 arranged to process game play instructions and output game player outcomes to the display 58. Typically, the game play instructions are stored as program code in a memory 64 that can also be hardwired. It will be understood that in this specification the term “processor” is used to refer generically to any device that can process game play instructions and may include a microprocessor, microcontroller, programmable logic device or other computational device such as a personal computer or a server.

A functional diagram illustrating operative components of the game controller 54 is shown in FIG. 6.

The memory 64 is arranged to store identifier data 65 indicative of identifiers associated with the portions 14 such as symbols associated with the portions and/or colours associated with the portions 14, function data 66 indicative of one or more functions allocatable to the identifiers, and game instruction data 67 indicative of game instructions usable by the gaming machine 50 to control operation of the game.

The game controller 54 includes a selector 68 which is arranged to select several portions 14 for display to a player as raised portions 14. In this example, the selection carried out by the selector 68 is made using a random number generator 70.

It will be appreciated that the random number generator 70 may be of a type which is arranged to generate pseudo random numbers based on a seed number, and that in this specification the term “random” will be understood accordingly to mean truly random or pseudo random.

The game controller 54 also includes a display modifier 72 arranged to modify the display so as to provide the appearance on a graphical display of the gaming machine 50 that selected portions 14 of the game sections 12 are raised relative to portions which have not been selected.

In this example, the game controller 54 also includes a function allocator 74 arranged to select and allocate one or more functions to one or more portion 14. Such functions include a wild function, a scatter function, or any other function which may be applied to a portion or to the game.

The game controller 54 also includes an outcome evaluator 76 which in accordance with the game instructions 67 determines game outcomes based on the portions 14 selected for display to the player as raised portions by the selector 68.

In the embodiments described below, the selector 68, the function allocator 74, and the outcome evaluator 76 are at least partly implemented using the processor 62 and associated software, although it will be understood that other implementations are envisaged.

The gaming system 10 can take a number of different forms.

In a first form, a stand alone gaming machine is provided wherein all or most components implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming machine.

In a second form, a distributed architecture is provided wherein some of the components implementing the game are present in a player operable gaming machine and some of the components implementing the game are located remotely relative to the gaming machine. For example, a “thick client” architecture may be used wherein part of the game is executed on a player operable gaming machine and part of the game is executed remotely, such as by a gaming server; or a “thin client” architecture may be used wherein most of the game is executed remotely such as by a gaming server and a player operable gaming machine is used only to display audible and/or visible gaming information to the player and receive gaming inputs from the player.

However, it will be understood that other arrangements are envisaged. For example, an architecture may be provided wherein a gaming machine is networked to a gaming server and the respective functions of the gaming machine and the gaming server are selectively modifiable. For example, the gaming system may operate in stand alone gaming machine mode, “thick client” mode or “thin client” mode depending on the game being played, operating conditions, and so on. Other variations will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

A gaming system in the form of a stand alone gaming machine 80 is illustrated in FIG. 7. The gaming machine 80 includes a console 82 having a display 84 on which is displayed representations of a game 86 that can be played by a player. A mid-trim 90 of the gaming machine 80 houses a bank of buttons 92 for enabling a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during gameplay. The mid-trim 90 also houses a credit input mechanism 94 which in this example includes a coin input chute 94A and a bill collector 94B. Other credit input mechanisms may also be employed, for example, a card reader for reading a smart card, debit card or credit card. A reading device may also be provided for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. The player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device.

A top box 96 may carry artwork 98, including for example pay tables and details of bonus awards and other information or images relating to the game. Further artwork and/or information may be provided on a front panel 100 of the console 82. A coin tray 102 is mounted beneath the front panel 100 for dispensing cash payouts from the gaming machine 80.

The display 84 is in the form of a video display unit, particularly a cathode ray tube screen device. Alternatively, the display 84 may be a liquid crystal display, plasma screen, or any other suitable video display unit. The top box 96 may also include a display, for example a video display unit, which may be of the same type as the display 84, or of a different type. The display 84 may include a touch screen usable by a player to interact with the gaming machine, in particular during game play.

The display 84 in this example is arranged to display representations of several reels, each reel of which has several associated symbols. Typically 3, 4 or 5 reels are provided. During operation of the game, the reels first appear to rotate then stop with typically three symbols visible on each reel. Game outcomes are determined on the basis of the visible symbols together with any special functions associated with the symbols.

A player marketing module (PMM) 104 having a display 106 is connected to the gaming machine 10. The main purpose of the PMM 104 is to allow the player to interact with a player loyalty system. The PMM has a magnetic card reader for the purpose of reading a player tracking device, for example as part of a loyalty program. However other reading devices may be employed and the player tracking device may be in the form of a card, flash drive or any other portable storage medium capable of being read by the reading device. In this example, the PMM 62 is a Sentinel III device produced by Aristocrat Technologies Pty Ltd.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of operative components of a gaming machine 110 which may be the same as or different to the gaming machine shown in FIG. 7.

The gaming machine 110 includes a game controller 112 having a processor 114. Instructions and data to control operation of the processor 114 in accordance with the present invention are stored in a memory 115 which is in data communication with the processor 114.

Typically, the gaming machine 110 will include both volatile and non-volatile memory and more than one of each type of memory, with such memories being collectively represented by the memory 115.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of the main components of an exemplary memory 115. The memory 115 includes RAM 115A, EPROM 115B and a mass storage device 115C. The RAM 115A typically temporarily holds program files for execution by the processor 114 and related data. The EPROM 115B may be a boot ROM device and/or may contain some system or game related code. The mass storage device 103C is typically used to store game programs, the integrity of which may be verified and/or authenticated by the processor 114 using protected code from the EPROM 115B or elsewhere.

The gaming machine has hardware meters 116 for purposes including ensuring regulatory compliance and monitoring player credit, an input/output (I/O) interface 117 for communicating with a player interface 140 of the gaming machine 110, the player interface 140 having several peripheral devices. The input/output interface 117 and/or the peripheral devices may be intelligent devices with their own memory for storing associated instructions and data for use with the input/output interface or the peripheral devices. A random number generator module 132 generates random numbers for use by the processor 114.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the peripheral devices that communicate with the game controller 112 include one or more displays 118, a touch screen and/or bank of buttons 120, a card and/or ticket reader 122, a printer 124, a bill acceptor and/or coin input mechanism 126 and a coin output mechanism 128. Additional hardware may be included as part of the gaming machine 110, or hardware may be omitted based on the specific implementation.

In addition, the gaming machine 110 may include a communications interface, for example a network card 130. The network card may, for example, send status information, accounting information or other information to a central controller, server or database and receive data or commands from the central controller, server or database.

It is also possible for the operative components of the gaming machine 110 to be distributed, for example input/output devices 118, 120, 122, 124, 126, 128 may be provided remotely from the game controller 112.

FIG. 10 shows a gaming system 200 in accordance with an alternative embodiment. The gaming system 200 includes a network 201, which for example may be an Ethernet network, a LAN or a WAN. In this example, three banks 203 of two gaming machines 202 are connected to the network 201. The gaming machines 202 provide a player operable interface and may be the same as the gaming machines 40,100 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, or may have simplified functionality depending on the rules and/or guidelines for implementing game play. While banks 203 of two gaming machines are illustrated in FIG. 10, banks of one, three or more gaming machines are also envisaged.

One or more displays 204 may also be connected to the network 201. The displays 204 may, for example, be associated with one or more banks 203 of gaming machines. The displays 204 may be used to display representations associated with game play on the gaming machines 202, and/or used to display other representations, for example promotional or informational material.

In a thick client embodiment, a game server 205 implements part of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 implements part of the game. With this embodiment, as both the game server 205 and the gaming machine 202 implement part of the game, they collectively provide a game controller. A database management server 206 may manage storage of game programs and associated data for downloading or access by the gaming devices 202 in a database 206A. Typically, if the gaming system enables players to participate in a Jackpot game, a Jackpot server 207 will be provided to monitor and carry out the Jackpot game.

In a variation of the above thick client embodiment, the gaming machine 202 may implement the game, with the game server 205 functioning merely to serve data indicative of a game to the gaming machine 202 for implementation.

With this implementation, a data signal containing a computer program usable by the client terminal to implement the gaming system may be transferred from the game server to the client terminal, for example in response to a request by the client terminal.

In a thin client embodiment, the game server 205 implements most or all of the game played by a player using a gaming machine 202 and the gaming machine 202 essentially provides only the player interface. With this embodiment, the game server 205 provides the game controller. The gaming machine will receive player instructions, and pass the instructions to the game server which will process them and return game play outcomes to the gaming machine for display. In a thin client embodiment, the gaming machines could be computer terminals, e.g. PCs running software that provides a player interface operable using standard computer input and output components.

Servers are also typically provided to assist in the administration of the gaming system 200, including for example a gaming floor management server 208 and a licensing server 209 to monitor the use of licenses relating to particular games. An administrator terminal 210 is provided to allow an administrator to monitor the network 201 and the devices connected to the network.

The gaming system 200 may communicate with other gaming systems, other local networks such as a corporate network, and/or a wide area network such as the Internet, for example through a firewall 211.

A loyalty program server 212 may also be provided.

Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that in accordance with known techniques, functionality at the server side of the network may be distributed over a plurality of different computers. For example, elements may be run as a single “engine” on one server or a separate server may be provided. For example, the game server 205 could run a random number generator engine. Alternatively, a separate random number generator server could be provided.

During operation, the game controller, whether implemented in a stand alone gaming machine or over a network, implements a probabilistic game wherein at least during part of the game the gaming system selects one or more portions of one or more game sections, raises the selected portions relative to portions which have not been selected, and determines game outcomes based on the selected raised game portions.

Examples of specific implementations of the gaming system will now be described in relation to flow diagram 250 shown in FIG. 11 which illustrates steps 252 to 258 of a method of gaming implemented by the gaming system according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3.

However, it will be understood that implementation may also be carried out using other gaming system architectures such a stand alone electronic gaming machine 50, or as a network architecture of the type shown in FIG. 10.

In order to take part in the game implemented by the gaming system 10, a player first places a bet which may be of a form not specific to a particular outcome, or may be a bet in relation to a particular outcome such as “at least 3 ‘pic 1’ identifiers 16”, “4 of a kind of any identifier”, “4 of a kind of any identifier adjacently disposed to each other”, or any other bet in respect of a particular outcome. The gaming system in addition or alternatively may be arranged so that the number of game sections to be included in the game can be purchased with the purchase amount increasing as the number of game sections to be included in the game increases.

For a bet which is of a form not specific to a particular outcome, winning outcomes may be determined by comparing the selected portions 14 with a pay table. The pay table may also be used to determine prize amounts in the event that a bet is placed in respect of a particular outcome and the selected portions corresponds to the outcome.

The game implemented by the gaming system 10 may be played by one player or by multiple players simultaneously.

After placement of all bets, the symbol selector 34 randomly selects a plurality of portions 14 and instructs the actuator 38 to cause the selected portions 14 to raise the selected portions 14 relative to the portions which have not been selected.

The outcome evaluator 40 then evaluates the identifiers 16 associated with the selected portions 14 and/or the positions of the selected portions and determines whether a winning outcome exists. If a winning outcome exists, the or each player associated with the winning outcome is awarded a prize.

Modifications and variations as would be apparent to a skilled addressee are deemed to be within the scope of the present invention.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments and/or aspects without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments and aspects are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. Several embodiments are described above with reference to the drawings. These drawings illustrate certain details of specific embodiments that implement the systems and methods and programs of the present invention. However, describing the invention with drawings should not be construed as imposing on the invention any limitations associated with features shown in the drawings. The present invention contemplates methods, systems and program products on any electronic device and/or machine-readable media suitable for accomplishing its operations. Certain embodiments of the present invention may be implemented using an existing computer processor and/or by a special purpose computer processor incorporated for this or another purpose or by a hardwired system, for example.

Embodiments within the scope of the present invention include program products comprising machine-readable media for carrying or having machine-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such machine-readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. By way of example, such machine-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer or other machine with a processor. When information is transferred or provided over a network or another communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a machine, the machine properly views the connection as a machine-readable medium. Thus, any such a connection is properly termed a machine-readable medium. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of machine-readable media. Machine-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions and data which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purpose processing machines to perform a certain function or group of functions. 

1. A gaming system comprising: at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome; the gaming system being arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected.
 2. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each game portion has an associated identifier and the gaming system is arranged to use the identifiers to determine game outcomes.
 3. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein each identifier comprises a symbol, number, icon or picture, or is in the form of a particular colour.
 4. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the or each game section is a physical game section.
 5. A gaming system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gaming system further comprises an actuator arranged to cause the or each selected game portion to move such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected.
 6. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is implemented electronically such that the or each game section is represented graphically on a video display.
 7. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system comprises a plurality of game sections disposed in a tower configuration.
 8. A gaming system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the game sections reduce in diameter in an upwardly direction.
 9. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game sections are purchasable by a player for inclusion in a game.
 10. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the game sections are of disk-like configuration, and the game portions are segments of a disk.
 11. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system comprises an outcome evaluator arranged to determine whether a winning outcome exists on the basis of the portions selected by the selector.
 12. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged such that a winning outcome is determined on the basis of the positions of the selected game portions.
 13. A gaming system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the gaming system is arranged such that a winning outcome is determined based on the identifiers associated with the selected game portions.
 14. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system is arranged such that a winning outcome is determined by comparing the selected game portions with a pay table.
 15. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein one or more of the selector and the outcome evaluator is constituted, at least in part, by a processor executing program code stored in a memory.
 16. A gaming system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gaming system comprises a game play mechanism operable to place a wager and the outcome evaluator evaluates the outcome based on the wager and based on the game portions selected by the selector.
 17. A method of gaming, the method comprising: providing at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and selecting at least one game portion; moving at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to adjacent game portions which have not been selected; and using the at least one selected game portion to determine a game outcome.
 18. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising associating each game portion with an identifier and using the identifiers to determine game outcomes.
 19. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein each identifier comprises a symbol, number, icon or picture, or is in the form of a particular colour.
 20. A method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the or each game section is a physical game section.
 21. A method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises moving the or each selected game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected.
 22. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising implementing the method electronically such that the or each game section is represented graphically on a video display.
 23. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising providing a plurality of game sections disposed in a tower configuration.
 24. A method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the game sections reduce in diameter in an upwardly direction.
 25. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising providing game sections of disk-like configuration, the game portions being segments of a disk.
 26. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising determining whether a winning outcome exists on the basis of the portions selected by the selector.
 27. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising determining whether a winning outcome exists on the basis of the positions of the selected game portions.
 28. A method as claimed in claim 18, comprising determining a winning outcome based on the identifiers associated with the selected game portions.
 29. A method as claimed in claim 17, comprising determining a winning outcome by comparing the selected game portions with a pay table.
 30. A computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code being arranged when loaded into a computer to cause the computer to operate in accordance with a gaming system comprising: at least one game section having a plurality of game portions; and a selector arranged to select at least one game portion, the at least one selected game portion being used to determine a game outcome; the gaming system being arranged to move at least one game portion such that selected game portions are raised relative to game portions which have not been selected. 